New Direction Partners, Printing Impressions Group Team Up On Educational Series

PHILADELPHIA—May 16, 2014—New Direction Partners (NDP), the leading M&A advisory firm serving the printing and packaging industries, and North American Publishing Co.’s (NAPCO) Printing Impressions Group, which comprises Printing Impressions, packagePRINTING and In-plant Graphics brands, have announced a new, multi-channel partnership to educate print professionals about the current industry M&A landscape, as well as to serve as a conduit for specific transaction opportunities.

From an educational standpoint, the six principals at NDP are authoring biweekly blogs and bimonthly columns for both Printing Impressions and packagePRINTING magazine and e-newsletter subscribers, and are also hosting a series of Webinars focused on the current M&A landscape in the commercial and package printing/converting marketplaces.

An online M&A microsite is also being created on Printing Impressions’ (www.piworld.com) Website to showcase specific, confidential printing and packaging engagement listing opportunities that currently exist for buyers and sellers throughout the United States.

“We couldn’t be happier teaming with NAPCO’s Printing Impressions Group to further our reach and industry awareness of the services that we offer,” says Paul Reilly, an NDP partner. “Their unequaled circulation and loyal readership within our target markets of commercial packaging, digital and wide-format is a perfect match for our marketing communication objectives.”

“I have had the privilege of working with the team at NAPCO for more than 25 years and am thrilled to enter into this strategic partnership,” adds Peter Schaefer, NDP partner. “The overwhelming industry response we have already received to our initial columns and blogs has been tremendous. There is no stronger industry brand than the Printing Impressions Group to reinforce New Direction Partners’ standing as the industry leader in M&A advisory services.”

About New Direction Partners New Direction Partners (NDP) is the print and graphic communications industry’s leading provider of advisory services for firms seeking growth and opportunity through mergers and acquisitions. NDP assists its clients by giving them expert guidance and peace of mind at every stage of the process of buying or selling a printing company. Services include representing selling shareholders; acquisition searches; valuation; capital formation and financing; and strategic planning. NDP’s partners have participated in more than 300 mergers and acquisitions since 1979. Collectively they possess over 200 years of industry experience with transactions in aggregate exceeding $2 billion.

About North American Publishing Co. NAPCO was established in 1958 and successfully operates magazines, trade shows and online services for the various markets it serves. Currently, the company operates 16 magazines, 22 e-mail newsletters, two subscription services and two trade shows and employs over 150 people. Corporate headquarters are located in Philadelphia. NAPCO's first publication, Printing Impressions, is today the most influential journal for printing and graphic arts worldwide. NAPCO continues to expand "organically" each year, capitalizing on its strong financial footing and its willingness to invest by launching new products and services. Over a dozen new publications and services have been launched within the past few years with several more in the planning stage.